It was a wonderful surprise. I mean opening the Sunday magazine of the New York Times and finding an article about Miss Saigon with quotes and reminiscences from the Filipino cast members among those prominently featured. The revival of the musical created by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, opened at the Broadway Theater last March 23 to excellent reviews.
Produced by Cameron Mackintosh, Miss Saigon was the first musical to feature a lot of Asian actors. While a few were cast in musicals like The King and I, Pacific Overtures and Flower Drum Song in the past, the usual practice then was to have Caucasians made up as Asians to play the major roles.
But then Miss Saigon came along and the casting of British actor Jonathan Pryce as the Vietnamese pimp called The Engineer drew a lot of flak from Asians in the US. Jonathan gave an excellent performance and even won Tony and Olivier awards but from that time on, an Asian actor, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese or Filipino, etc. has always played the part.
I do not think that it was a decision that caused sleepless nights for Cameron. By that time, he had already been to the Philippines and discovered the only 18-year-old marvel that was Lea Salonga. He knew there would be a lot of Engineers and Kims to-go in Manila. In fact, given what was termed “an embarrassment of talents” in this country, Miss Saigon and other musicals can be performed anywhere with an all or at the very least almost all-Filipino cast.
This was what happened in London with the Miss Saigon revival in 2014 with Jon Jon Briones, who was in the chorus of the original production in 1991, as The Engineer; 18-year-old Filipina from New York Eva Noblezada as Kim; and local singing champion Rachelle Ann Go as Gigi. They have all been cast in the Broadway revival. In fact, the producers have even upped the Filipino quotient in the show by casting another Filipino, Kevin Ilaw as Thuy.
Cameron’s discovery of Lea was the start but I think the even bigger discovery was that Lea could not only sing, she was also pretty and a good actress. She delivered the goods. And that is what Pinoys who followed in her wake, have been doing since then, proving themselves true actors, no matter what race a role might traditionally call for. Of course, Cameron was also most helpful in this regard casting most of the Kim’s either as Fantine or Eponine in Les Miserablés which is set in Paris with French characters.
The doors of Broadway are now open for Jon Jon, Eva and Kevin. Rachelle Ann in true Miss Saigon fashion had already finished her run as Fantine in Les Miz. She is set to hang up her bar girl togs as Gigi later this year to move into bonnets and petticoats and hip-hop sounds while romancing an American founding father. She is playing Eliza Schuyler in the West End production of the blockbuster hip-hop musical Hamilton. Nobody is wondering anymore why an Asian is playing the part.
As for Lea, who helped pave the way, she is back home singing in concerts and coaching contestants in The Voice. Occasionally, that is when a good role comes along, she takes to the stage again. Last week saw her in the final shows of the Tony-winning musical Fun Home, which turned out to be an extraordinary experience for everybody.
Originally a graphic novel, Fun Home was written by Alison Bechdel. It is about a girl’s recollections of life with her parents, particularly that of her father, who was a high school teacher and funeral parlor owner who liked the company of young men. It raised a question about our parents that we may have thought about but dismissed as unnecessary. They are the two people we are supposed to be closest to but it turns out also the ones we do not know at all.
A daring choice by director Bobby Garcia, who by the way, was also part of the original Miss Saigon, Fun Home was presented with well-paced precision in an intermission less one hundred minutes. It was studded with superb performances from a cast that left audiences stunned and gasping. How does one cope with such stark honesty?
Lea played the mother Helen, a pitiful figure of pent-up resentment. It is another crowning achievement, one that confirms what a remarkable talent she has matured into. There will be more roles to come and we will feel proud every time of her and all the other talents she helped bring into the fold. And we will always remember, it all started with Miss Saigon.